Madera County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanic liens in person, by mail or electronic recording.

In Person

You can visit the Madera County Recorder’s office located at:

200 W. 4th Street
Madera, CA 93637
(559)675-7724

Documents are accepted for recording Monday through Friday beginning at 8:00 am until 3:30 pm, with the exception of holidays.

By Mail

You can also submit your lien documents by mail to:

Madera County Recorder
200 W. 4th Street
Madera, CA 93637

Electronic Recording

Documents are received by the County for electronic recording from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

For more information on this service, you can contact the Recorder’s office at (559) 675-7724 or email RecorderInfo@maderacounty.com.

The Madera County Recorder does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog. However, note that the original recorded document will be mailed to you within 2-3 weeks (after completion of adding your record to the database for archival retention.)

If the project is located in Madera county, then yes, you will want to record your lien with the Madera County Recorder’s office.

All documents submitted for recording must comply with certain basic requirements. The Madera County Recorder’s general requirements are as follows:

1. The property must be located within Madera County. (CC 1169) Some document types require a full legal description while others are acceptable with only an APN and address.

2. The document must be authorized or required by law to be recorded. (GC 27201)

3. Signatures must be original, unless the document is a certified copy issued by the appropriate custodian of the public record. (GC 27201b, GC 27279, EVID 1530)

4. Include the name of the party requesting the recording and a name and address where the document can be returned. (GC 27361.6)

5. Any document which modifies, releases, or cancels the provisions of a previously recorded document shall state the recorder identification number or book and page of the document being modified, released, or cancelled. (GC 27361.6)

6. The document must be properly acknowledged, unless exempt. California requires an all-purposed acknowledgment. (GC 27201, 27289, 27285, 27287, 27288; CC 1189)

7. The Assessor’s Parcel Number is required on all conveyance documents (i.e. deeds). (Madera County Code 3.12.130) This 9-digit number can be found on your property tax statement or you may contact the County Assessor at (559) 675-7710.

8. The notary seal must be legible for a microfilm reproduction. (GC 8207).

9. When recording documents affecting a change in ownership of real property, include a completed Preliminary Change of Ownership Report.

10. Documents must be legible and photographically reproducible. This pertains to the text, notary seals, certificates, and any other attachments. (GC 27361.7)

11. All documents must have the title(s) of the document contained therein. Only the title(s) captioned on the first page of a document, or cover sheet, immediately below the space reserved for the recorders will be indexed. (GC 27324)

All documents must comply with the 8.5 by 11″ standard page size and not to exceed 8.5 by 14″. An additional fee of $3.00 will be charged for each page that is not 8.5 by 11″.

The first page of the document shall reserve a minimum of 2 inches down from the top, of which the left 3.5 inches is used by the party requesting recording to enter name and address to which the document is to be returned following recording. The remainder of this space is reserved for use by the county recorder to enter the official recording information. Side and bottom margins should be a minimum of 0.5 inches.

A cover sheet meeting these requirements is available upon request to the County Recorder office.

All applicable fees must be paid at the time of recording. The Madera County Recorder’s acceptable forms of payment include: cash (no $100.00 bills), personal check (party must be listed on document), cashier’s check, money order, or the following debit/credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover. Note that a $2.50 service fee will be added to all debit transactions and credit transactions totaling $83.75 or below. Credit transactions exceeding $83.75 will be charged a service fee of 3% of the total.

The Madera County Clerk Recorder’s regular recording fee is $14.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page.

Additional Recording Fees

Non Standard Form Size Fee: $3.00 for any page of the document is less than or more than 8 1/2 x 11

Penalty Print: $1.00 per page

Indexing Fees: $1.00 for each reference to a previously recorded document that gives names other than the first reference, if the additional reference requires indexing

$1.00 for Each group of ten names or fractional portion thereof after the initial group of ten names.

Release of Federal Tax Liens: $14.00

Release of State & County Tax Lien: $8.00

Copy Fees

Official Copy: $3.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page
Certification: $2.00 per document

To obtain a recorded copy of your lien, you can visit the Madera County Recorder’s office in person located at:

Madera County Recorder
200 W. 4th Street
Madera, CA 93637

Recorded documents are open for public inspection. Copies may be purchased at this office.

For specific information, contact the Recorder’s office at 559-675-7724.

To get a legal description from the Madera County Recorder’s Office, you can visit the Madera County Recorder’s office in person located at:

200 W. 4th Street
Madera, CA 93637

Recorded documents are open for public inspection. Copies and more information may be purchased at this office.

For specific information, contact the Recorder’s office at 559-675-7724.

Determining whether you do or do not have a mechanics lien right can be tricky. Generally speaking, every state gives those who have furnished labor and/or materials to a construction project the right to file a mechanics lien if unpaid for the furnishing. The same is true in California. However, there are some state-specific limitations as to who is qualified to file a mechanics lien that is important when considering whether you have the right to file a mechanics lien in Madera County, California.

Great and detailed information about this is available on our California Mechanics Lien Resources Page.

The fee to file a California Preliminary Notice in Madera County is $40.00.